Latest Articles
Contraception opponents hail DC court ruling
Foes of the federal contraception mandate are cheering an appeals court decision requiring the Obama administration to devise exemptions to the new rule for two Christian colleges....
No, the problem at Sandy Hook wasn't the lack of men
Megan McArdle thinks that gun-control measures wouldn't accomplish much but that training kids to run at a shooter instead of away might. That's a weird payoff at the end of a 4,500-word post, but it's not as offensive as Charlotte Allen's argument.
Thursday digest
New today from the Century: The editors on gun control, John Buchanan on the Magi, more.
A thousand shades of gray
Knowing I love the composer Morten Lauridsen, a friend posted Lauridsen’s setting of “Sure On This Shining Night” on my Facebook page....
Vatican works to stop Sunday shopping in Italy
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Roman Catholic Church, trade unions and small business associations have joined forces in a bid to save Sundays....
Listening to Buechner
Algebraic preaching—that’s Frederick Buechner’s term for preaching that may make sense on some abstract level but that depends on terms like “salvation,” “atonement,” “savior” and ...
Why should we take moral direction from Max Lucado?
In the whirlwind of words that have followed the Newtown tragedy, one prominent religious voice has been Max Lucado, a Texas pastor and best-selling author....
Wednesday digest
New today from the Century: Crude religious characters on subtle TV shows, Max Lucado's moral views on guns, more.
Faith in 2-D
It's the golden era of TV, and many shows explore moral and psychological issues with great nuance. Why not take religion as seriously?
Cosmic question: God in a world explained by science
We might still pray for rain, but we can account for thunder without invoking bowling gods. Is there still a place for God?
Unbelief is now the world's third-largest 'religion'
A new report on global religious identity shows that while Christians and Muslims make up the two largest groups, those with no religious affiliation—including atheists and agnostics—are now the th...
Use of death penalty grows rarer in U.S.
Though the number of death row inmates executed in 2012 remained unchanged from 2011 at 43, death penalty opponents say that capital punishment is on the wane....
Sunday, December 30, 2012: Luke 2:41-52
I love this story about Jesus and his parents and am astonished by the author’s deep understanding of the human condition....
No elf on our shelf
My family celebrates Christmas with a mix of Jesus and Santa Claus. But there is one story we don't tell.
What fundamentalists worship
Quite a number of people are discussing t-shirts like this one (or the wider use of the sentiment expressed on it) in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. I am glad that fundamentalists are finally being a bit more honest about what they mean by “God.”
Tuesday digest
New today from the Century: God's place in a world explained by science; the CT shooting, school prayer and the religious right's god; more.
Sunday, December 30, 2012: Luke 2:41-52
I love this story about Jesus and his parents and am astonished by the author’s deep understanding of the human condition....
Falling into prayer: Bede Griffith's pilgrimage and mine
What is it about Western culture that makes it so difficult to taste God? Why would we rather prove propositions than experience the holy?
Is 'The Hobbit' a 'Christian' film? Yes and no.
Travel along, if you dare, with Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit" – either in J.R.R.Tolkien's beloved 1937 novel, or through the first installment of Peter Jackson's film trilogy based on the book, whi...
At Christmas, the babe in the manger isn't always white
When the Rev. Kip Banks' family pulls out its nativity scene each Christmas, the African features of the baby Jesus provide lessons on both the Bible and self-esteem....